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Event: Working at the Innovation Hub
Are you curious about what we do at the Innovation Hub? Are you thinking of applying to any of our upcoming roles for the Fall-Winter Work-Study term, or know of someone who might want to apply?
On Monday, July 15th from 12pm-1pm, join us in a one-hour session where Julia Allworth (Manager, Innovation Projects), Lidiia Tulenkova (Research Lead) and Hayley Park (Senior Project Assistant & Communications Lead) will share what it's like to work at the Innovation Hub and what opportunities will be available for the Fall-Winter 2024-25 Work-Study Term. There will be opportunities to ask questions, learn about upcoming roles, and understand the importance of our work on a deeper level. Open to all U of T students & U of T staff supporting students in Work-Study hiring.
Work Study Opportunities in Fall-Winter 2024-25
Design Research
The Design Researcher works with a team that conducts a design thinking project for the Innovation Hub with the goal of improving the student experience in a specific area. Every project looks different but uses design thinking to provide partners with compelling insights that reframe problems innovatively and inspire action.
Accessibility Services at U of T seeks to gain an understanding about factors that enable students with disabilities to fully engage in campus life and identify where gaps exist. The project aims to understand students’ needs to identify tangible ideas and champion access and inclusion for students with disabilities. The findings of the project will inform Accessibility Services programming and services and broader U of T community to support the better design of all aspects of campus life for students with disabilities.
The School of the Environment at U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science seeks to understand how equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) is embedded in the curriculum, programming, communications, hiring, events, meetings, building, design, and culture. The project aims to gain a meaningful understanding of student perspectives and tangible ideas of steps to take to better champion EDIA so that student experiences are enhanced, addressing barriers to EDIA from a student point of view – including undergraduate students; students in the collaborative specialization program; graduate students; domestic and international students; commuter students; and students from equity-deserving populations. The findings of the project will inform the School of the Environment to make design decisions that will enable the school to become a leader in EDIA at U of T and beyond.
Health & Wellness (H&W) at U of T seeks to improve student experiences with the front-line reception team. Whether a first encounter as a new patient or a repeat encounter as a returning patient, the team at H&W seeks to create consistent client experiences across all channels to ensure a cohesive brand experience. The project aims to look at all possible interaction points with the front-line reception team across various communication formats at various points in time. The findings of the project will inform programming and service delivery and to create opportunities for omnichannel marketing in the future.
The Community Engagement Designer & Event Facilitator team is the heart of the Innovation Hub, working to create community across our large and multidisciplinary team of student staff. The team consists of a dynamic, creative, and passionate group of students who “bring life” to the Innovation Hub. The team helps create vibrant, inclusive, and equitable spaces for all students.
The Community Engagement portion of this role involves planning fun social events for our team and the broader U of T student community. The team is also responsible for regularly developing professional skill-building activities for team members to enhance their learning during their time at the Innovation Hub.
The Event Facilitator aspect of this role involves working on short-term feedback projects for partners in the U of T community with an immediate goal of improving student experiences in a specific area. These projects involve collecting empathy-based feedback from students and quickly translating the feedback into insightful reports for our partners.
The Qualitative Data Archivist team supports Design Researchers on all design thinking projects by facilitating data analysis and ensuring qualitative data is processed and stored appropriately. The team is also responsible for maintaining the Innovation Hub’s large database on the qualitative research software (Dedoose). Tasks for this role include transcription, de-identification, and anonymization of data. The team also uses Dedoose to conduct qualitative coding, applying appropriate research codes and tags to the stored data. To assist the design research teams in the data analysis process, the team analyzes and manages existing data in the Innovation Hub database using archival coding. Working with existing data is an important aspect of this role.
University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process Faculty of Arts & Science
The University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) cyclical review ensures that academic programming at the University meets the highest standards of excellence. The cyclical review allows for maintenance and improvement through regular appraisal of undergraduate and graduate programs in academic units or those that involve more than one unit.
The Team Coordinator is a leadership role that supports the A&S UTQAP Research Lead by supporting a large team of Design Researchers working on multiple projects gathering feedback from students related to a particular program or unit in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Using an empathy-based approach, the design research team focuses on understanding students’ experiences within the program or unit in four key areas: academics, student support, community building and extracurricular activities. The Team Coordinator supports the team to work together to plan and carry out data collection and analysis, preparing a report and presenting findings to the program or unit’s senior academic team. This design research process results in a presentation of data that will be presented to senior academic leaders at UofT and can directly impact future change in an Arts & Science program.
The Design Researcher works as part of a team that gathers feedback from students related to a particular program or unit in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Using an empathy-based approach, the design research team focuses on understanding students’ experiences within the program or unit in four key areas: academics, student support, community building and extracurricular activities. The team works together to plan and carry out data collection and analysis, preparing a report and presenting findings to the program or unit’s senior academic team. This design research process results in a presentation of data to senior academic leaders at UofT which can directly impact future change in an Arts & Science program.
The Data Analyst works with research teams that conduct design thinking projects for the Innovation Hub in support of the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP). The Data Analyst supports the survey portions of all the UTQAP projects, including overseeing the survey data collection and analysis, supporting teams in writing reports to present the insights uncovered in the data, making recommendations and prototypes for potential solutions.
The Qualitative Data Archivist team supports Design Researchers on all design thinking projects by facilitating data analysis and ensuring qualitative data is processed and stored appropriately. The team is also responsible for maintaining the Innovation Hub’s large database on the qualitative research software (Dedoose). Tasks for this role include transcription, de-identification, and anonymization of data. The team also uses Dedoose to conduct qualitative coding, applying appropriate research codes and tags to the stored data. To assist the design research teams in the data analysis process, the team analyzes and manages existing data in the Innovation Hub database using archival coding. Working with existing data is an important aspect of this role.
Communications
Digital Storytellers bring to life content produced within project teams with visual imagery, models and infographics. This role involves creating professional reports and presentations of design research data, blog posts, website content, and more. The role may also entail special projects, such as website design and development, or developing creative materials outside of the scope of design research projects. We also welcome applicants with a background in photography and videography.
The Innovation Hub Innovation Hub UI/UX Web Designer creates prototypes, visual designs, and written content for the Innovation Hub. Working with the Digital Storytelling team, the Web Designer may have different strengths or areas of expertise in content design. Web Designers are part of the Digital Storytelling team under the direction of the Digital Communications Coordinator.
The UI/UX Web Designer role involves creating Figma mock-ups, wireframes, storyboards prototypes, and user flows, writing website content, and designing original iconography and illustrations to bring the website to life. This role may also entail special projects such as creating highly visual professional reports and presentations of design research data, blog posts, and more. We also welcome applicants with a background in photography and videography.
Featured Project: Family-Friendly U of T Virtual Toolkit
A partnership between the Innovation Hub and the Family Care Office aims to create a ‘mini-site’ of resources for university staff and faculty to support student parents to be embedded with the Family Care Office website. The site will focus on helping university community members become more family-friendly in their day-to-day practices. Resources include checklists for making events/programs family-friendly, guidelines for providing childcare on an ad-hoc basis, information about the financial needs of student parents, and more. The UI/UX Web Design team at the Innovation Hub will design a fully accessible WordPress mini-site and engage in user experience research, speaking with subject matter experts to develop content. The final deliverables will include a condensed executive-style presentation, a condensed version of the Innovation Hub’s design research data about student parents and details about the ‘mini-site.’
The Audiovisual Storytelling Assistant works on all aspects of Innovation Hub’s design thinking projects aimed at bringing stories to life through audiovisual storytelling. Responsibilities of the team include participant recruitment, logistical planning for audiovisual projects such as documentaries, podcasts, and other audiovisual projects, provide videography and recording support, and work collaboratively with other professionals involved in the projects such as videographers and other audiovisual professionals.
Featured Project: International Students: Life After Graduation Documentary Short
The project will look at international students’ experiences when understanding the question: what’s life after graduation like for international students? The Innovation Hub will work with the team at the Centre for International Experience to identify a small and diverse group of 5-7 international students who are willing to share their experiences of life after graduation. The international student demographic will include students from various countries of origin, degree levels, programs of studies, years since graduation, and intersectional identities to showcase the diversity of international student experiences. Recent graduates and alumni will share their stories through video diaries, voiceovers, and vlogs to highlight their current experiences after graduation. The final product of the project will be a documentary short presented to the University of Toronto community.
The Innovation Hub is seeking to create video content that highlights our work through a student-centric and focused perspective. The Videographer & Editor creates, executes, films, and edits videography projects at the Innovation Hub. The work includes designing storyboards, filming and editing content, creating animations, and more. Videographer & Editor works with the Communications Team under the direction of the Digital Communications Coordinator.
The Innovation Hub Photographer documents the events, initiatives, and activities at the Innovation Hub through photography and videography. This includes taking photos of events, headshots of Innovation Hub team members, team photos, capturing campus life through the eyes of the Innovation Hub, and maintaining the Innovation Hub photo repository.
The Photographer brings the Innovation Hub’s work to life within the U of T community. The Photographer may undertake special photography projects such as photo essays, photo shoots, videography, and more. The role also involves developing creative materials to support design research projects.
The Innovation Hub is looking for a Blog Editor & Digital Content Writer to lead our blog with a strong editorial vision. The successful candidate will lead a team of volunteer writers to create written content that engages and inspires the Innovation Hub’s blog audience of students, staff, faculty, and alumni stakeholders in the U of T community. The role combines technical writing and editing skills with the ability to work closely with volunteer writers and coach them through feedback. The Blog Editor & Digital Content Writer keeps the blog on schedule with weekly posts covering design thinking and empathy-related topics using plain language and an engaging tone.
Students with a passion for storytelling, knowledge translation, and community building will be particularly interested in this role. To learn more about the Innovation Hub’s work and the content associated with the position, check out our blog: http://blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca/innovationhub/blog/
Apply Now
The Innovation Hub is hiring for Work Study roles for Fall-Winter 2024-2025. We are hiring a number of roles in qualitative research, communications, and community engagement for students to apply their learning outside the classroom. For more information, check out the different positions we have available below.
To apply, complete the Microsoft Form below. If you have any questions, contact innovationhub@utoronto.ca.